Yesterday was a typical first day of Lent for me: bagel with belly lox, cheese pizza. Stuff that doesn't feel like you're leaving anything out.

Today is not yesterday.


(I'm sure you're going to have to click through there.)

There are so many kinds of beans! People don't tend to realize this, but think about even the difference between a field pea (like black-eyed peas) and the beans in your chili - it's huge.

Thank god for bean variety, or Lent might get a little monotonous. From the black beans at eleven o'clock, I've got: ayocote negro (black runners), bolita, black calypso, arikara yellow, vallarta, and field peas.  Look at the size difference between the field peas and the black runners!

I cooked some of the black runners up with carrot, celery, and garlic, along with a scoop of the greens I mentioned yesterday, some salsa Caitlin's mother made, and a boiled egg.


(The egg was cooked all day in a slow-cooker - rather than being rubbery like an overcooked hard-boiled egg, it's soft and creamy, and browned from the long cooking.)